Nudge nudge, wink wink…I’m off…

Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s best football player is finally off to Real Madrid for a staggering world record fee of 80 million pounds. This deal dwarfs what Madrid just paid for Kaka and proves the club are willing to invest whatever it takes to recapture their glory years and challenge Barcelona for honors again.

As a fan of the Premier League I’m gutted. I never thought I would feel so gutted about a player leaving Manchester United as I don’t even support the buggers! I just like to watch the best players play in the best league in the world. Now the two best players in the world (Ronaldo and Messi) are playing in La Liga.

Does this mean the power is shifting away from the Premier League? Is this a sign and should the Premier League be worried? Forget about the diving and the moaning for just a second and think of Manchester United’s Saturday afternoon clashes with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, but there’s no Ronaldo. It feels as bad as the day Henry left Arsenal for Barcelona. And let’s face it, Arsenal have still not recovered or won anything since he left. United have seen great players come and go over the years, but this one might be tough to replace.

Everyone is crying about how much Real Madrid have paid for Ronaldo and there’s no doubt those tears are somewhat justified. However, players like Ronaldo, Kaka, Messi and even Beckham are more than just players. They are a brand in themselves. A corporation. A business. And if a business performs well year after year, the value goes up and sometimes another company will come in and make an offer to buy that business for way more than what it was worth to begin with. Was MySpace really worth over $500? Was Facebook worth almost a billion dollars? Probably not, but huge corporations came in and paid the money because in the long-term, the payback from the initial investment is worth so much greater. When you negotiate your contract with a potential employer, you try to get the best deal for you right? Expense account, bonuses, travel, company car and other incentives. It’s all relative as far as I’m concerned.

Ronaldo will payback Madrid in potentially his first season. He will sell shirts, season tickets and merchandise beyond Real Madrid’s dreams. When Beckham went to Real Madrid, their shirt sales went through the roof. Wherever Beckham has gone shirt sales have gone through the roof. And the profile and publicity these top tier players garner for their team is priceless. Yes the wages are crazy. Yes they get paid ridiculous amounts of money and yes it’s tough to justify in today’s economy. But they too have worked hard for their worth. To buy the best you have to be willing to pay top dollar. And if Ronaldo is the world’s best, then surely he is worth the money Real Madrid are investing right?

Everyone is acting as though teams pay over 80 million pounds for a player everyday. But they don’t. Ronaldo is a special player. These special players don’t come around that often and when they do, teams are willing to pay whatever it takes for their services. I say good luck to the boy. Why not? He’s earned it. He’s worked hard. He gives everything on the pitch. Yes he bitches and moans and cries. But his talent makes you forget about that stuff. And like him or not, you cannot deny his talent. He came from a very humble upbringing in Portugal and his family had nothing. His God given talent has blessed him with riches beyond his dreams. The winker wins again and who wouldn’t want to be in his position…

2 thoughts on “Nudge nudge, wink wink…I’m off…”

They say Ronaldo will make Real Madrid 500 million over ten years, i think that justifies his cost, and then you add how much Kaka will make them and now Villa, the players pay for themselves. La Liga was always just as exciting as the Premiership but now its got a whole lot more interesting. Imagine, advertised next season, Saturday 9pm Barcelona v Real Madrid, the players on show in that game…UNBELIEVABLE!

As for the premier league, we still got some talent, Torres, Fabregas, Modric, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney and there will be additions no doubt about it.

The top four will spend and bring some players in, they have to and they will.

I agree La Liga has always been exciting, but I don’t think you can compare the excitement of the Premier League over the last 7 or 8 years to any other league in the world. The pace, the passion and the fans make it the best. El Classico will be a wonder to watch next season and the talent on display will take La Liga to a whole new level. I think the second tier games in the Premier League are also more interesting to watch than La Liga’s. Tottenham vs Newcastle for example is far more enticing than Sevilla vs Villareal.

The Premier League definitely has bundles of talent and I agree with you that the top four will bring in even more talent. Add Berbatov and Arshavin to your list and lose Modric. For some reason, I’m still not super impressed with him. He played well towards the end of the season and maybe this term he’ll show his true potential. I think Arshavin is going to light up the league with a full season under his belt. And Berbatov could have a Cantona like birth at United next season.